Letter Re: Entomophagy Diet Supplementation Options

Jim, While I understand consuming insects may keep you from starving to death, there is a real concern if eating without adequate cooking. Many insects carry round and tape worms, nematodes and other parasites.  I once softly stepped on a cricket and watched several worms exit the body.  Every time I see people advocating eating insects, I think of that cricket and the nasty worms.  While the insects my stave off starvation, the worms, parasites, and so forth might well be worse in the long run. – Alan T.


Economics and Investing:

Dan in Kentucky recommended this BBC news video segment: Greek town develops bartering system without euro. [JWR Adds a word of warning: To avoid charges of fraud or counterfeiting, never use the term “Dollar” or use a Dollar Sign ($) when setting up an alternative currency, or make any implication that the currency units in any way reflects or is tied to the Dollar as a currency unit. (The creators of the Liberty Dollar learned this the hard way.) Instead, the barter currency unit should be denominated in hours of labor, or 1/10th Troy ounces of silver, with no mention …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Another gent beats feet for the American Redoubt: Why I’m Moving West    o o o Paul Venezia: Your privacy is a sci-fi fantasy. (Thanks Mark P. for the link.)    o o o Pierre M. sent this: DHS Purchases Bullet Resistant Checkpoint Booths Amid Large Scale Ammo Buildup    o o o This upcoming film seems to be more about romance than survivalism: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World    o o o Real wrath of God stuff: Raging downpour leaves Texas town covered in giant piles of hail stones.



Notes from JWR:

We recently set up our own affiliate store with the U.S. Cavalry Store, to offer a wide range of top quality survival and military gear. (The profits will help cover SurvivalBlog’s bandwidth, web hosting, and VPN expenses.) Please check it out. — Today we present two more entries for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for …


The Bugout Buggy, by H. in Bradenton, Florida

Those of us who have considered the terrible option of having to leave our homes, our main domicile and primary place of normalcy and safety due to civil unrest or worse have had to ask the question of, “What do I take with me?”. Eventually this question comes down taking that hike to …. wherever we feel is best, a better chance for survival environment. Why hike? Because any rational consideration of events that could occur all lead to fuel being no longer able to be obtained, roads blocked, normal travel impossible. Furthermore, the roads themselves may not be the …


Selling the Truth, by Ben S.

I am not sure on when it happened, or how it happened, all I know is that it happened. I woke up one morning and realized that I didn’t have a plan and I didn’t know what I needed a plan for. Something inside of me was tearing at my chest, not in the form of fear, but in the form of urgency. I started to react instantly and in an almost frantic way because I knew that there was something very important I needed to do. After a couple of weeks I stopped myself and took two steps back …


Letter Re: Change Your Mind, Save Your Life

Jim, There seems to be a lot of debate on ‘should I head for the hills, post-SHTF‘. In my opinion, what most people miss is: Yes, it is a bad idea to head for the hills with no firmly established destination. Either move now or establish a place you are welcome to before the SHTF. I doubt a small town will be welcoming strangers in that situation. As for the fantasy of ‘living off the land’, you and 85 million other people? Ever try to bag a deer during hunting season with the limits in place today? – Ross JWR …


Economics and Investing:

In case you missed this: MIT Predicts Half of Humanity to Be Culled in Post-Industrial Crash Debasement ahead! Treasury to Cut Costs by Remaking Coins, Replacing Paper. Have you got your nickels stacked up? (A hat tip to Sue W. in Idaho, the first of several readers to send the link.) Items from The Economatrix: The Dollars Demise:  Has It Arrived At This? A Wicked Financial Storm Descends On America Dueling Economic Banjos Offer No Deliverance US Expects Drivers to Pay 24 Cents More for Gallon of Gas this Summer


Odds ‘n Sods:

K.A.F. sent this news headline from inside the American Redoubt: Where should the buffalo roam? Tribes, ranchers battle over bison relocation    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: The ugly battle between rural residents and alternative energy mandates in California    o o o A fog of drugs and war    o o o Government Surveillance Crackdown on Internet Goes into Overdrive    o o o Jonathan B. sent this tale of a bad day in Nashville: Man allegedly commits 10 felonies in 9 hours. Is this a little glimpse of what will happen …



Note from JWR:

Today we present two more entries for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for …


Change Your Mind, Save Your Life, by Marc P.

Apocalypse: en route or ongoing? I won’t argue whether something terrible will happen. It’s a flawed premise. Something terrible is already happening, just not where your computer is plugged in. It is not necessary for the entire planet to be threatened for a single region to be thrown into chaos. It wasn’t necessary for the whole state of Louisiana to be in peril before New Orleans turned medieval after Katrina. The mistake in logic occurs with the base assumption that a survival scenario is the end game. If that’s your assumption, there’s no need for extensive preparations. All you can …


Preparing to Prepare: a Financial Primer, by Just Scott

The most common reason given for not having preparations in place is lack of financial resources.  Considering the recent economic downturn combined with the large amount on consumer debt held by the average American household prior to the economic downturn that is not a surprising response.  For the past several decades Americans have burdened themselves with more and more debt.  We have fallen prey to the “buy now, pay later” mentality.  Each and every day we are inundated with marketing messages designed to make us feel like less of a person if we aren’t living in the right neighborhood, driving …


Two Letters Re: SHTF-Oriented Fitness and Martial Arts for a Middle-Aged Couch Potato

Mr. Rawles, I’d like to throw in a different angle on SHTF-oriented fitness and martial arts.  A little over two years ago I felt the need to get back in shape, I remembered what I could do as a Marine in my early 20s (I’m in my mid 30s) and wanted to at least get within shouting distance of that.  Going to the gym solo just never worked for me.  So I started doing some research and came across Japanese Kendo — the modernized Samurai sword fighting sport.  The pros are many.  You don’t have to start in great shape …